THE FUTURE IS NOT ENOUGH: Here's a lengthy analysis from the Hoover Institution's John E. Chubb of the many issues currently affecting the teaching profession. The essay, excerpted from his book, The Best Teachers in the World, takes strong aim at the nature of current education policy. Of particular interest is Chubb's opinion of the teacher credentialing process. The political science maven sympathizes with high quality programs like Vanderbilt's Peabody College and KIPP Schools' in-house PD process, but points to average teacher proficiency on the SAT as a metric for gauging the effectiveness of less-intensive programs. "Today’s teachers, however, do not come close to meeting the academic standards being set for students. A proficient score on NAEP reading or math translates into at least a 600 on the SAT, or about a 1200 overall. The most generous estimate of the aptitude of new U.S. teachers recently estimated SAT scores of 515 in critical reading (formerly verbal) and 506 in math, or 1021 overall," writes Chubb. Comparing these scores makes for great effect (mostly of the embarassing variety) but simplifies an argument that's deeply tied to professional development, evaluation, and leadership -- all subjects that Chubb addresses as well. Here's our money quote: "Teaching in U.S. schools today can be drudgery, only partly occupied with instruction, often filled with repetition, and compensated without regard to merit." Well said, sir.
